Mark Nowak

Nowak's book is one of the cornerstone examples of the now exploding trend, it seems, of found text collage being implemented as poetics, particularly with a political or social justice bent. See Rankine's Citizen for the most popular recent example of this form (or any other poetic form, for that matter). Nowak's work here shines a light on mining culture and how it affects family and community, his use of other voices at the total exclusion of his own is a poignant move that drives empathy with his subject. His arrangement is thoughtful, sometimes unnerving, and I believe sometimes purposefully tedious. This a unique poetic volume on an often ignored subject that has major and lasting affects on our world and the people that live in it.… (meer)

This is an interesting marriage of experimental poetry and poetry of witness, and Nowak has some beautiful turns of phrase and innovative forms, but in the end I was hoping for a bit more from the collection. At times, it felt more caught up in experiment than witness or communication. It packs something of an impact, but I'm not sure that it's something I'll come back to nevertheless. I would, however, recommend it to anyone interested in experimental poetics or experimental literature, as well as anyone interested in economics or depressions as portrayed through literature.… (meer)